Two teens in Massachusetts have been charged in relation to damage caused by the viral TikTok 'outlet challenge' as police nationwide continue to warn of the dangers of the social media phenomenon. The high school students, aged 15 and 16, charged with 'attempting to burn a public building' join a growing list of teens facing charges of criminal damage because of the dare. Also known as the penny challenge, the viral trend involves plugging the brick part of a phone charger partially into a socket and sliding a penny onto the exposed metal prongs. The contact with the penny can create a spark so strong that it can start a fire, damage the property's electrical system and harm those by the outlet. Police were called to Whitman-Hanson Regional High School in Massachusetts on January 23 after two students who caused damage to multiple outlets were identified. 'This is not just a harmless prank that kids are doing,' Hanson County police chief Michael Miksch told Boston 25 news. 'Causing an outlet to short circuit this way can cause serious injury and could potentially start a fire. Not to mention the damage it can do to a building's electrical system, along with hundreds or thousands of dollars worth of damage. We are taking this issue seriously and anyone identified doing this will be charged criminally.' The students can not be named but police say they are both male, aged 15 and 16. They have been charged with attempting to burn a public building and malicious destruction of property. School officials noticed that several electrical outlets around the school had short-circuited, concluding that the damage must have been caused by the challenge. No injuries were reported. Hanson County Police added to the calls of many police and fire departments across the country asking parents to speak to their children on the danger of the viral challenge. The 'Outlet Challenge' comes after the 'Tide Pod Challenge' and the 'Hot Water Challenge' alerted parents and the authorities to the dangers of social media dares. While TikTok is meant for those 13 and older, the site does not verify the age of its users. 'We urge parents to talk to their children about this serious issue and the dangers that can occur to themselves and others by doing this,' Hanson County Superintendent Jeffrey Szymaniak said. 'Thankfully no one was hurt and no major damage was done. Although, we did have power outages with some of our SMART boards and classroom lights and had to replace the damaged outlets.' Share this article Share Another Massachusetts student also faces charges of burning a building, property destruction and disorderly conduct after causing significant damage at the Westford Academy, a high school in Westford, Massachusetts.The whole school was forced to evacuated on Friday, Januray 17, when smoke started coming out of an electrical socket in one of the classrooms. WCVB report that $700 worth of damage was caused. A video of the challenge being performed
Students charged over viral TikTok 'outlet challenge' damage
Two teens in Massachusetts have been charged in relation to damage caused by the viral TikTok 'outlet challenge' as police nationwide continue to warn of the dangers of the social media phenomenon. The high school students, aged 15 and 16, charged with 'attempting to burn a public building' join a growing list of teens facing charges of criminal damage because of the dare. Also known as the penny challenge, the viral trend involves plugging the brick part of a phone charger partially into a socket and sliding a penny onto the exposed metal prongs. The contact with the penny can create a spark so strong that it can start a fire, damage the property's electrical system and harm those by the outlet. Police were called to Whitman-Hanson Regional High School in Massachusetts on January 23 after two students who caused damage to multiple outlets were identified. 'This is not just a harmless prank that kids are doing,' Hanson County police chief Michael Miksch told Boston 25 news. 'Causing an outlet to short circuit this way can cause serious injury and could potentially start a fire. Not to mention the damage it can do to a building's electrical system, along with hundreds or thousands of dollars worth of damage. We are taking this issue seriously and anyone identified doing this will be charged criminally.' The students can not be named but police say they are both male, aged 15 and 16. They have been charged with attempting to burn a public building and malicious destruction of property. School officials noticed that several electrical outlets around the school had short-circuited, concluding that the damage must have been caused by the challenge. No injuries were reported. Hanson County Police added to the calls of many police and fire departments across the country asking parents to speak to their children on the danger of the viral challenge. The 'Outlet Challenge' comes after the 'Tide Pod Challenge' and the 'Hot Water Challenge' alerted parents and the authorities to the dangers of social media dares. While TikTok is meant for those 13 and older, the site does not verify the age of its users. 'We urge parents to talk to their children about this serious issue and the dangers that can occur to themselves and others by doing this,' Hanson County Superintendent Jeffrey Szymaniak said. 'Thankfully no one was hurt and no major damage was done. Although, we did have power outages with some of our SMART boards and classroom lights and had to replace the damaged outlets.' Share this article Share Another Massachusetts student also faces charges of burning a building, property destruction and disorderly conduct after causing significant damage at the Westford Academy, a high school in Westford, Massachusetts.The whole school was forced to evacuated on Friday, Januray 17, when smoke started coming out of an electrical socket in one of the classrooms. WCVB report that $700 worth of damage was caused. A video of the challenge being performed
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